The first nationwide sampling of house dust has revealed that exposure to household endotoxin levels poses a definite risk for asthma.
Dust, Pets, Humidifiers
Indoor sources of endotoxins include dust, pets, humidifiers, pests, and outdoor air. Past studies have shown that exposure to endotoxins can cause inflammation of the lungs.
A Clear Relationship
Roughly 2,500 residents were evaluated in the study, which took house dust samples from bedroom floors, bedding, family room floors, sofa surfaces, and kitchen floors. The study demonstrated a clear relationship between household endotoxins and diagnosed asthma, asthma symptoms, current use of asthma medication, and wheezing.
Bedroom Floors and Bedding
The strongest indicator of asthma, asthma medications, and wheezing came from endotoxins in bedroom floors and bedding dust. However, endotoxin concentrations were highest in kitchen and living room floor dust.
The survey also demonstrated that U.S. household endotoxin exposure levels were higher than those in Europe.